Rinne Rokudō
|species = Shinigami/Human |gender = Male |age = 15(?) |relatives = Father: Sabato Rokudō Mother: Otome Rokudō Grandmother: Tamako Grandfather: Unnamed Human (deceased) |occupation = High school student, Shinigami |manga = Chapter 001 |anime = Episode 001 |voice = Kōki Uchiyama (CM) Kaito Ishikawa (Anime)}} is the main protagonist and leading male character of Kyōkai no Rinne. He is part human and part shinigami but describes himself as a "sort of" shinigami. He is classmates with the female protagonist Sakura Mamiya and works with her to guide spirits to the afterlife. His black cat is Rokumon. Appearance Rinne has fire engine red hair and similar red eyes. He's normally seen wearing his old middle school track uniform. His uniform consists of a black pair of pants, along with a black coat that goes over a white short sleeved T-shirt. The jacket has a white lining over the edges of the collar. Rinne's signature Haori of The Underworld outfit is normally seen whenever he's in battle and exorcising spirits. On his haori is the Red Wheel of Samsara, or Wheel of Reincarnation. He wore a smaller version haori as a child and the one currently in his possession is assumed to have been passed down from his grandmother, Tamako. He has been seen wearing other articles of clothing, although these are rare instances and they usually are because he has a job to complete. (i.e crossdressing as a maid to trick a damashigami) Personality Rinne describes himself as a "sort of" shinigami, or god of death. He ferries souls between the land of the living and dead, and most of the spirits he encounters are stuck in the living world with unresolved needs. Rinne patiently tends to the spirits he encounters, even when it would be easier to simply banish them into the afterlife. Rinne is shown to be a kind and light-hearted shinigami. He doesn't force spirits to pass on quickly, but instead patiently helps them unless, of course, they anger him. He's careful with his strategies and battle plans, unlike Rumiko's previous male protagonists who prefer to quickly attack without thinking. Rinne also respects the female protagonist, calling Sakura by her full name and he also doesn't fight or argue with Sakura whenever Sakura is questioning him. Rinne is quite the protective of Sakura Mamiya, often wondering about her well being and how she will react to certain actions of his. He falls for Sakura very early on and this possibly due to the fact that she's not judgmental of his social status as some people (Shinigami included) would. when asked about it, Rinne replied that "Sakura is as kind as an angel." and he makes it clear that he genuinely cares for her. Even so, somehow Sakura manages to misinterpret their relationship and his confessions constantly. She even, unintentionally, shuts him down by saying that they're just classmates or that she'll pretend to be his girlfriend with all her might. He also hates wasting money over useless things or when he has to pay an extreme amount, which is why he often takes "emotional damage" and cries tears of blood when his money is wasted. Background Rinne is the son of Sabato and Otome Rokudō. He is part Shinigami because his grandfather is a human and his grandmother, Tamako, is a shinigami. Fifty years ago, Tamako was supposed to reap the soul of a human man, but they fell in love with each other instead. She agreed to prolong the life of the man for 50 years, in exchange for reaping more souls; this meant she had to work ten times more than she normally would. Tamako also agreed that if she didn't reach her goal, her debt will be passed through her descendants. It was believed that she wasn't able to reach her goal, and her work was passed on to Rinne, her grandson. Thus, Rinne is burdened by his grandmother's promise. It is later revealed that the original debt was fully paid off, but Sabato Rokudō had taken out many loans with Rinne as his unwilling cosigner and left the debts to the latter. Plot The plot line of the series can be summarized in a capsulation of the first chapter: Sakura Mamiya, an average teenage schoolgirl, who wasn't able to live a normal life due to her ability to see ghosts. When she started high school she thought everything will eventually change, until she met her mysterious classmate Rokudō Rinne, who sits beside her and never attended class. Sakura and Rinne's first encounter was when Rinne tried to help a chihuahua ghost pass on, and Sakura saw him talking to it. She later realizes that nobody saw Rinne, so Sakura thought that Rinne was just another ghost. As time passes by, when Sakura discovers that his grandmother Tamako was the reason that Sakura could see ghosts, she insisted on tagging along with Rinne to help him with his Shinigami duties. Later on, a contracted black cat named Rokumon starts to work with them too. Both of them worked together and helped other ghosts to pass on. One day, an old classmate of Sakura transfers to their school with the name Tsubasa Jūmonji. Tsubasa fell in love with Sakura since they were kids, because both of them could see ghosts. His love for Sakura resulted a bit of jealousy from Rinne, which Rinne described as 'a disgusting feeling, like stepping on a caterpillar in hell'. They do have to work together at times, making them reluctant acquaintances. Later he encountered Ageha, a Shinigami. At first Ageha thought that Rinne was working for the Damashigami Company; Rinne explained that he is also against it. So, Rinne agreed to help her find her sister, who was actually the Damashigami Company's mysterious secretary. Ageha begins to like Rinne, eventually developing feelings for him. This is complicated by the fact that her sister has intentions to marry Sabato, owner of the Damashigami company and Rinne's father who is quite unscrupulous. Ageha at first doubted Rinne, but she was convinced when Rinne attempts to aid her in taking back her sister from his father, Sabato. Ageha's friendliness toward Rinne was tangled when she saw how Rinne and Sakura acted with each other, Sakura states her disinterest toward Rinne due to his perceived relationship with Ageha, yet Ageha sees Sakura as a rival over Rinne, and disbelieves that Sakura doesn't have feelings for Rinne. When Tamako gives Sakura a candy that would help her not to see ghosts for three days, Sakura was not able to see Rinne for a while; she later realizes that the candy she ate was quite effective. Meanwhile, Rinne was protecting her against ghosts that joined the Ayakashi competition and this year's target was Sakura Mamiya. Rinne follows her, even in her house, but he wasn't being seen. He wonders if Sakura was happier not being able to see ghosts. And he doesn't care if she doesn't "realize it yet". Just like Tamako and Rokumon said, it is simply his job to protect Sakura against the evil spirits and at the same time, his job being a Shinigami. The next day, bored and lonely, Sakura went to the old club building where Rinne resides. She sits there wondering where Rinne was. Then, one Ayakashi was left, about to attack Sakura -- fortunately Rinne yells her name and he defeats the remaining Ayakashi. Rinne then remembers that Sakura wasn't able to see and hear him. As Sakura started to leave, Rinne sat in front of her, when suddenly Sakura tripped and Rinne noticed that Sakura was able to see ghosts again. Then Sakura asked: "Where...have you been?" Rinne responded: "No..." I've been by your side this whole time. ''Sakura said that she doesn't need the unseen candies anymore, stating that it's okay to see ghosts, and to see Rinne. It is hinted that Rinne and Sakura starts to fall for each other, considering that they find each other's presence. Abilities *'Flight''' - Rinne can fly when wearing the Haori of the Underworld. *'Shinigami Senses - '''Rinne can sense spiritual auras. *'Scythe Fighting '- Rinne is skilled with his scythe, despite having it taken away from him in multiple occasions. *'Invisibility '- Rinne becomes invisible to normal people when he wears the Haori of The Underworld. *'Exorcism - Being a shinigami, Rinne's true job is to exorcise and help spirits that were unable to pass on and cut their ties to this world, bringing them to the Wheel of Reincarnation. *'''Thousand Winds Stream - Rinne can control a thousand bills in a flurry around him and then redirect the winds towards a target. Equipment Rinne owns several Shinigami Tools, although he has three that are almost always with him. If needed he will buy tools he doesn't already have. Shinigami Scythe: A tool used by all shinigami, and most likely damashigami too, Rinne was too poor to to own one in the beginning and eventually bought one for 5,000 yen in volume 3. In the anime, the scythe was his since childhood but he's had to sell it to a pawn shop due to being so poor and later got the money to buy it back. Haori of the Underworld (Yomi no Haori): A lightweight Haori, or short coat worn over a kimono. On Rinne's haori is a red wheel of reincarnation. According to Rinne, it's expensive. When wore, the wearer is given the body of a ghost and is therefore invisble to humans, when wore inside out the wearer is given back their living bodies. Hoop of Judgement: a bracelet worn on Rinne's left wrist that transforms into a large hoop when needed. It works as a shield against unjust attacks, a teleporter to the offender, and can capture the wearer's target. This tool was given to Rinne when he was young by Tamako, but Sabato stole it from Rinne before he could open the container. He was eventually able to get it back though.Chapter 57 Relationships Family Grandfather Rinne hints that he and his grandfather were very close; this more than likely due to the fact that Rinne had no fatherly figure in his life since Sabato was a Damashigami and never was around. He lived with the older man and Tamako in the human realm until the man died. Sabato Rokudō Despite their identical appearances, these two are the polar opposites. Even in their youths, Sabato was known for his lazy and perverted behavior while Rinne was actually respectable and hard-working. The two can never see eye to eye and Rinne simply cannot forgive Sabato for using him as the cosigner of his debt. Very rarely does Rinne work with his father and, even then, Rinne usually ends up harming his father out of annoyance. Tamako As much as he cares for his grandmother, he greatly dislikes her laidback attitude towards things like cleaning. He also doesn't like it when Tamako grinds her knuckles into his head for calling her Granny. These minor disputes have existed between the two for years and, in a flashback, it shows that Rinne's grandfather was not at all bothered by it (probably because he was use to it). Sakura Mamiya While they were originally acquaintances who shared a common goal of helping the dead, Rinne and Sakura eventually gain a small friendship that quickly turned into a one-side crush on Rinne's part. This is possibly Rinne's first crush as he has no clue on how to approach Sakura during times of misunderstandings or when he questioned his own feelings for her. Even so, Rinne is actually fairly calm in his affection compared to Tsubasa, Ageha, or Matsugo. Even though he has tried to show Sakura that she means a lot to him, his message often gets twisted. This sometimes leads him to feel rejected by Sakura while other times, its the fault of misunderstandings. Rokumon While he originally planned to not contract any black cat since it meant that he had to pay the cat as an employee, Rinne and Rokumon have a fair partnership. Even with their ups and downs, the two are loyal to each other and are quick to defend each other should the other be framed. Like many black cats, Rokumon thinks highly of his employer but is also more humble at the same time. Tsubasa Jūmonji Despite their rivalry for Sakura's affection, Rinne and Tsubasa do have it in them to work together. However, Tsubasa tend to either ruin or make things worse for Rinne, very rarely does he actually do something right. Their feelings for Sakura are what mainly keep these two from getting along, other times it's their methods toward exorcisms. Ageha Ageha disliked Rinne at first, because of his father, Sabato, the damashigami company president who was soon to be married to her sister. When Rinne agreed to help her, Ageha grew a crush over him, until it became quite an obsession. She even managed to force Rinne to go out on a date with her once. Rinne considers Ageha as a friend, thus ignoring her noisy statements and turning down her offers. Their relationship is similar to Tsubasa and Sakura's. She usually competes with Sakura by showing off her wealth; however Sakura is unaware of this. Masato Six years ago, during Masato's time at Demon Elementary School, Masato was given a homework to salvage an unretrieveable soul and bring it to hell. He came upon a lonely rabbit in an elementary school; just as he was about to take the rabbit's soul, Rinne came and told Masato that the rabbit was not ready to pass on. Rinne fed the rabbit, causing its soul to return, and because of this Masato was unable to complete his assigned task. Masato attacked Rinne with a pitchfork but Rinne smashed over him with a large crucifix (shinigami scythe in the anime). And with this, their long-time rivalry started, mostly on the part of Masato who never forgave Rinne. Otome Rokudō Trivia * Rinne's name is written in hiragana, so it has no real meaning, but when written in kanji, it means either the transmigration of souls (In Buddhism), or samsara, the endless cycle of death and rebirth. His last name translates into the six realms that the cycle leads to. ** Rinne can also be interpreted as a shortened version of re-incarnation. * Rinne is very different from some of Rumiko's other protagonists. Rinne isn't violent and doesn't have anger issues, and is respectful and polite to our heroine, Sakura Mamiya. *Rinne's rivalry with Tsubasa is similar to Inuyasha's rivalry with Koga, with a few differences of course. *In Chapter 007, when Sakura informs Rinne that she is barefoot and without money, having accidentally traveled through the phantom route, Rinne states that Sakura reminded him of Sazae-san, a popular anime character in Japan. *In a legend a wise samurai executed a convict who swore that everyone present would be cursed, an act never fulfilled due to the wise samurai's replacing the convict's goals. This legend was played with in Chapter 086, where Rinne uses the same concept to trick the Ramen chef spirit into changing his goals so he could pass on quickly. Quotes * "He's not taking anything. Sakura Mamiya's not mine." - Chapter 20, when Rokumon asks if Rinne was going to let Tsubasa take Sakura from him. "And I... I never thought I'd be able to come again..." - Chapter 21, when Rinne had gone on a date to the Amusement park to watch over the ghost to protect him from Tsubasa. * "That hundred thousand yen... I mean that evil spirit...... Is giving power to Hanako-san?!" - Chapter 24, when Rinne sees that Tōichi is giving power to Hanako-san of the Toilet. * "Give it back! That's my train fare to go visit mommy!" - Chapter 31, when young Rinne tried to take back his piggy bank from his good-for-nothing father. * "Thank goodness. Its the old Sakura Mamiya. She's acting like the whole thing with Ageha never even happened." - Chapter 43, when Rinne is happy that the incident with Ageha is now behind them. * "The Haunted Cedar...eh? The name is intriguing." - Chapter 47, when Rinne gets curious about Tsubasa's "date" with Sakura. * "That would be bad! Even if it's just hot air..... I have to say that Sakura Mamiya and I are going out!!" - Chapter 61, when the Karate ghost on the beach asked if Sakura would go out with him. * "The way you handle yourself, she couldn't come to you." - Chapter 65, when Tsubasa insisted that Sakura could have came to him for advise. * "Yeah, right. You've been having a good time." - '' Chapter 89, when Rinne goes to save Ageha only to find her in an emergency shelter with a fabulous pool and in her swimsuit.'' Gallery rinne sheet.jpg|Rinne's character sheet Rinne yukata.png|Rinne in a yukata Rinne and sakura.jpg magical girl rinne.jpg|Rinne crossdressing as a disguise References See Also Category:Shinigami Category:Human